Cheat Sheets

Low costs are even more essential in picking a bond ETF than they are in picking a stock ETF. When (historically, at least over the past century) you’re looking at maybe earning 2.4 percent above inflation[more…]

There are about 150 bond ETFs, most of them introduced in the past five years. They are issued by iShares, Market Vectors, PIMCO, PowerShares, State Street SPDRs, Vanguard, iPath, Guggenheim, and WisdomTree[more…]

Treasury bond ETFs come in short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term varieties, depending on the average maturity date of the bonds in the ETF’s portfolio. In general, the longer the term, the higher[more…]

Corporate bonds typically pay higher rates than government bonds (about 1 percent a year higher), so you would expect the long-term payout from this ETF to be higher than any government bond ETF, except[more…]

The broadest fixed income ETFs are all-around good bets, especially for more modest sized portfolios. Note that these bond ETFs use a total bond market approach, which means about two-thirds government[more…]

If you allocate roughly half your equities to overseas ETFs in your stock portfolio, you’ll have plenty of exposure to foreign currencies. But still, if you have a fairly large portfolio and half or more[more…]

Bonds are long-term lending agreements between a borrower and a lender. For example, when a municipality (such as a city, county, town, or village) needs to build new roads or a hospital, it issues bonds[more…]

Before you buy a bond, get an idea of how much financial muscle the issuer has. Bond ratings are available through any brokerage house. Three of the most popular rating services are Moody’s, Standard &[more…]

As you enter the world of bond investing, you may choose to work with a broker. But use some caution. Ask the questions in the following list — and get acceptable answers — before parting with your cash[more…]

As a bond investor, you’re probably most interested in the bonds that will leave you with more money at the end of the day. If it comes to a choice between taxable and tax-free municipal bonds, grab your[more…]

If you want to invest in bonds, you need to know how to read the bond ratings that the big three rating companies use and how to figure whether a taxable or tax-free municipal bond is the better investment[more…]

Investment bonds are issued by thousands of different governments, government agencies, municipalities, financial institutions, and corporations. They all pay interest. Following are some important considerations[more…]

A bond is really not much more than an IOU with a serial number — you lend someone your money for a period of time, and they promise to pay you back (with interest) after that time is over. There is money[more…]

Here are a few online resources and tips for choosing a bond broker or agent, so that with the tap of some keys and the click of a mouse, you can access the most modern methods — the most efficient, friendly[more…]

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about bond investing. So just what are bonds? A bond is basically an IOU. You lend your money to Uncle Sam, to General Electric, to Procter & Gamble,[more…]

A growing number of financial supermarkets and specialty bond shops now allow you to trade bonds online, and they advertise that you can do so for a fixed price. In the case of Fidelity, the price is generally[more…]

Stocks and bonds come in many flavors that can be added to your portfolio. Although the world of investments offers countless opportunities — and dangers! — all investments qualify as one of these two[more…]